1. Technical Field
This invention relates to lounge chairs and, more particularly, to a combined lounge chair and water misting dispensers.
2. Prior Art
Leisure in the sun involves anything from sunbathing for the purpose of tanning to napping or resting outdoors while exposed to the sun. However, one either perspires in the heat of the sun or, at the other extreme, dehydrates one's exposed skin. At either extreme, a refreshing spray of water is often needed. The many attempts to obtain such a spray have been complicated by considerations of construction integrity, the aesthetics of sun lounging chairs, and hydraulic engineering to obtain a water tight pressure system. Lounge furniture should be low cost, ergonomically adjustable, aesthetically pleasing, capable of withstanding hard outdoor use and even abuse, lightweight, and easily transported and stored. This has been achieved in the simple sun lounge, but not generally available in spray or misting lounges.
The obvious approach to the implementation of such a combination is to start with a lounge chair having a tubular frame, and use sections of the frame to act as water conduits. A known example of such an approach discloses a mist chair where the rectangular, tubular frame of a cot is connected to a source of pressurized water through a water hose. Small orifices drilled along the length of the tubular frame act as spray nozzles to create a fine mist around the body-supporting portion of the cot.
This prior art technique is fraught with many disadvantages. In the first place, the tubular frames of most outdoor lounge chairs are not intended to carry water, and most often do not provide open connections between sections of the frame. For instance, right-angle and T-joints may be implemented with connecting hardware having no internal pass-through channels. Secondly, the tubular frame may be drilled at various points to accommodate hooks, and other types of fasteners for the body supporting web or netting. These holes constitute unwanted or unnecessary leakage points. Moreover, the tubular elements or the hardware components attached to or passing through them may offer little resistance to corrosion. Finally, elements of the frame may be joined by hinges and other types of articulation which do not provide a continuous fluid channel therethrough.
Accordingly, a need remains for a combined lounge chair and water misting dispensers in order to overcome the above-noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing a combined lounge chair and mist dispenser that is easy and convenient to use, durable and lightweight in design, and provides the user with increased comfort. Such a lounge chair is utilizable by homeowners who enjoy spending time sunbathing on an outdoor recliner. The lounge chair also appealing to commercial/institutional facilities where lounge chairs are employed. Such facilities include public swimming pools, water parks, hotels/motels, resorts, and cruise ships, to name a few.